It has been one month since the Stay-at-home order was issued in Yangon Region but, according to data released from the Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS), it has yet to see a decrease in COVID-19 cases.
Yangon Region was hit the hardest when the COVID-19 second wave begin, accounting for most of the cases nationwide. Since September 20, Yangon Region entered the Stay-at-home program for all of its townships apart from Coco Islands.
MOHS's spokesperson Dr Than Naing Soe say that Yangon Region still do not see the cases lowering.
"It is currently being stubborn. We need it to decrease more.
He says that most cases found in Yangon are clusters.
We see cases in markets. We see them in monasteries. In Insein Ywarma, we found over 300 cases and these few days, we see rising cases in old folks homes. And of course, facotires. We see multiple clusters at the factories in Yangon Region. It is still alot," said Dr Than Naing Soe.
On October 12, A graded CMP factories by the MOHS were allowed to reopen. Subsequently, over 300 COVID-19 patients were found in Myanmar Asia Optical factory in Mingalardon, Yangon Region, according to the workers there.
Dr Than Naing Soe says that to be able to control those clusters mean cases will lower.
"We are pressuring on those clusters. If we can tackle them off, the surge will slow down. Whatever that is left can be solved with the people following regulations," said Dr Than Naing Soe.
The Central COVID-19 Transmission Committee is responsible to decide on a Stay-at-home order when local transmissions are too high.
"The main issue is how local tranmission is looking like. We have to cut down contact between people. That is the most basic method of disease control."
Under the Stay-at-home rules, residents of townships are to stay in their homes, work from home, to limit to one person if going out for grocerries, limit to two person when visiting hospitals or clincis, to wear a mask at all times outside and for vehicles to pass across townships only if they are ferries for workers or when allowed.
In Yangon, the township with the most amount of infected is North Okkalapa with a total of 2071 cases as of October 20.
The MOHS used to have to take nasal and mouth swabs from suspected patients to determined infection status, which limited the testing rate to about 5,000 per day. But when the test kits ordered from South Korea came, the testing capabilities went up.
There are now a total of 39696 COVID-19 positive cases in Myanmar with 972 dead so far.
The deaths started on 1st October and had since escalated to an average of 31 deaths per day.
"If I was asked to say now what is the most important and distinctive treatment for COVID-19, it will be oxygen," said Dr Than Naing Soe.
The now retired consultant on communicable diseases and Director-general Professor Soe Lwin Nyein said that COVID-19 causes the body's oxygen levels to drop much faster than other diseases.
"COVID-19 is different from the rest in that the lowering of oxygen level is very fast. It occurs in hours and will cause sudden drop in oxygen level in the body. It means that there is danger of death even when en route to hospital so before reaching the hospital, the patient, especially elders, will need to go through necessary checks and treatments first," said Professor Soe Lwin Nyein.
As of now, patients requiring oxygen treatment is high in, thus prompting the extension of more wards and oxygen pipeliens in Phaung Gyi COVID-19 treatment center and Yangon General Hospital.
Over half of COVID-19 patients are found contracted from contact persons and Yangon now has around 40000 people placed in quarantine, according to the public health department in Yangon.
The election is due to take place on November 8 and due to the Stay-at-home program placed in most of Yangon, voters over 60 years old are eligible for advanced voting as well as for voters to vote safely according to COVID-19 regulations, claimed the Union Election Comission.
Myanmar is now placed 77th in the global COVID-19 cases list, 4th when comparing against the ASEAN region. Myanmar is also the 3rd highest in deaths from COVID-19 in ASEAN.
